The Campaign (2012)

The Campaign Synopsis

When long-term congressman Cam Brady (Will Ferrell) commits a major public gaffe before an upcoming election, a pair of ultra-wealthy CEOs plot to put up a rival candidate and gain influence over their North Carolina district. Their man: naïve Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis), director of the local Tourism Center. At first, Marty appears to be the unlikeliest possible choice but, with the help of his new benefactors' support, a cutthroat campaign manager and his family's political connections, he soon becomes a contender who gives the charismatic Cam plenty to worry about. As Election Day closes in, the two are locked in a dead heat, with insults quickly escalating to injury until all they care about is burying each other, in this mud-slinging, back-stabbing, home-wrecking comedy from Meet the Parents director Jay Roach that takes today's political circus to its logical next level. Because even when you think campaign ethics have hit rock bottom, there's room to dig a whole lot deeper.

Adding a fourth entry to the series The Bourne franchise hit some highs and lows this weekend. Landing a secure first place with $40 million, The Bourne Legacy saw the lowest opening for a Bourne movie since the first foray Bourne Identity bowed in 2002.

After three weeks at the top of the North American box office, The Dark Knight Rises has finally been knocked out of the #1 spot-- and it took a trained super spy to do it. The Bourne Legacy made a little less than originally estimated on Friday, taking in $14 million instead of $15 million, but it's still on track for a strong $41 million opening weekend

The jury's still out on whether Jeremy Renner can really match Matt Damon's Jason Bourne, but the Renner-led Bourne Legacy is already showing enough muscle at the box office to make the gamble more than worth it. Early numbers for Friday have The Bourne Legacy making between $15 and $18 million today

Whether his sparring partner helps ground him and stick to the script or joins him in the wildest improv imaginable, Ferrell is almost always better as part of a team-- and he's at it again in this week's The Campaign, in which he teams up with Zach Galifianakis that's as hilarious and absurd as it is depressingly true

Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis have been everywhere lately promoting The Campaign (which we’re hearing is quite funny). So far, the highlight of the media blitz probably has to be Ferrell referring to an adulterous Kristen Stewart as a “Trampire” while on the Conan O’Brien show. But the sight of Ferrell and Galifianakis debating elementary school children probably ends up being a close second.

We’ve got a full slate of flicks this week, with a little something for everyone. Action adventure and intrigue? Check. Lowbrow political humor? Checkity check. Mindless and mind-boggling stunts? Why not. Old person rom-com? Well you probably weren’t scrounging for that, but we’ve got it anyway

From the looks of The Campaign's trailers, and especially these new fake TV spots that debuted today, the movie balances that silliness and sharp wit perfectly in every scene. Take a look at both of the ads below, in which the candidates Cam Brady and Marty Huggins face off against each other with some questionable claims

One of the hardest parts about being a politician is that your entire life is completely exposed. Opponents constantly work to dig up as much dirt as they can on their competitors to try and gain any sort of edge, be it something dumb they did when they were in college or some mistake that someone in their family made.

When it comes to political comedy, Will Ferrell is no novice. During his years on Saturday Night Live the comedian cemented himself into pop culture history with his brilliant and hysterical impression of George W. Bush, but it doesn’t even end there. In 2009 Ferrell took the character to Broadway, performing in “You're Welcome America,” a show directed by Adam McKay...

This past winter I hopped on a flight down to New Orleans, Louisiana and in between delicious meals of beignets and blackened redfish, I had the chance to spend time along with a group of other journalists on the set of the upcoming political comedy, starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis. During the day behind the scenes we got to watch the actors perform multiple hilarious scenes...

After making two films for HBO that explored the complications and ridiculousness of real-world politics (Recount and this year's Game Change), director Jay Roach is returning to feature films with a different, fictional political slant. In The Campaign Roach directs Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis

Basically, The Campaign is little more than two huge-right-now comedians butting heads in a contemporary (but formulaic) comedy. Capitalizing on the upcoming presidential election, the movie stars Ferrell and Galifianakis as candidates vying for congressional seats in a small southern district. Jay Roach of Meet the Parents and Dinner for Schmucks is at the helm (a good sign), and the marketing campaign is really playing up the “size” of the talent.

Politics is a strange and mixed up world. While we should be voting for the smartest, most qualified people to be in our government, the whole thing is dominated by special interests and money that it's insured every little election will be just as ridiculous as the last. The insanity of the political world has been the subject of comedy before, but this summer it's all about Will Ferrell vs. Zach Galifianakis.

While Presidential politics become both disappointingly grown-up but also annoying, what we really need is for Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis to step in and provide us some politics conducted with the level of childishness we usually expect.

The film is about two rival politicians running for a congressional seat in North Carolina and has an all-star cast that includes Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis, Jason Sudeikis, Sarah Baker, Brian Cox, John Lithgow, Dan Akyroyd, and Dylan McDermott. Sadly, Warner Bros. has not yet released the trailer online - or any trailer for that matter - but we do have something special for you today.

Starting with the new Will Ferrell-Zach Galifianakis comedy, director Jay Roach came out to address the audience and explained that they were originally planning to release The Campaign towards the end of the presidential election...

Recently we showed you some behind the scenes of Jay Roach's upcoming political comedy Dog Fight. Now Warner Brothers has released the first official photo to promote the movie's brand new—though painfully banal—title The Campaign. Cam Brady (Will Ferrell) a well-established Southern Congressman whose hold on his seat is threatened...